Analyzing News Videos

Search for child to resume Monday

1. Q: What is the story? (What is the point of the news report?)
A: This story is about a 6 year old boy, Nathaniel, who drowned in Winnipeg while playing with his brother, and how the family is dealing with this tragedy.

2. Q: What is the establishing shot in the video?
A: The establishing shot of this video would be Nathaniel's family by the river where he drowned, called the Red River.

3. Q: What is the introduction?
A: The introduction is the woman giving brief information about Nathaniel and how his death occurred.

4. Q: Most likely "sources" are used in the report and they are making comments or being quoted. Name two of them.
A: Two "sources" in this video were Daniel Thorassie, Nathaniel's father, who told a little bit about his son and the kind of person he was, and also Sandy Neufeld, a local resident, who described just how dangerous this river actually was during this time of year.

5. Q: Based on what these two sources say, what questions do you think they were asked? Create two questions for each source that you feel they were probably asked.
A: Daniel Thorassie could have been asked "what kind of person was Nathaniel?", while Sandy Neufeld could have been asked "do you ever worry about more people drowning on the Red River?"

6. Q: Identify two different types of "B-roll" in the video.
A: Two different types of "B-roll" in this video were the shot of the rescuers floating across the Red River, and the family mourning by the river.

7. Q: What are two other types of B-roll footage that you think they could have used (consider what is being said in the voice overs)?
A: Two other types of B-roll footage that could of been used were a picture of Nathaniel, or maybe even a shot of his brother, who was with him on the ice.

8. Q: Identify two different voice overs and briefly list what facts are in each voice over.
A: One voice over commented about how even the emergancy workers understand that the Red River is very dangerous at this time of year, and how the search was called off only a few hours later.
Another voice over mentioned how Daniel Thorassie had been through this before, with the drowning of his brother.

9. Q: What is the closing to the video?
A: The closing to this video is of Nathaniel's father hanging a red flag near the river, to remember his son, and to warn others of the river.

10. Q: Who is the reporter and what is her/his tag at the end?
A: The reporter at the end is Andrew Lee, CBC News, Winnipeg.